# 1869 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 31 October 1869. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council.

## Electoral system

The 128 members of the National Council were elected in 47 single- and multi-member constituencies; there was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population. The elections were held using a three-round system; candidates had to receive a majority in the first or second round to be elected; if it went to a third round, only a plurality was required. Voters could cast as many votes as there were seats in their constituency. In six cantons (Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri), National Council members were elected by the Landsgemeinde.

## Results
### National Council

Voter turnout was highest in Aargau at 85.6% (higher than the 79.1% who voted in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Schwyz and Zug at 22.1%.
145631243 :
| Party | Party | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Total seats |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Total seats |
| | Radical Left | 319,998 | 37.46 | 50 | 39,631 | 28.55 | 3 | 17,932 | 59.95 | 2 | 55 |
| | Liberal Centre | 253,951 | 29.73 | 29 | 29,224 | 21.05 | 1 | 3,433 | 11.48 | 1 | 31 |
| | Democratic Left | 129,260 | 15.13 | 8 | 50,054 | 36.05 | 6 | | | | 14 |
| | Catholic Right | 120,248 | 14.08 | 22 | 13,987 | 10.07 | 1 | 8,547 | 28.57 | 1 | 24 |
| | Evangelical Right | 24,582 | 2.88 | 3 | 5,940 | 4.28 | 0 | | | | 3 |
| | Radical Left dissidents | 6,122 | 0.72 | 1 | | | | | | | 1 |
| Total | Total | 854,161 | 100.00 | 113 | 138,836 | 100.00 | 11 | 29,912 | 100.00 | 4 | 128 |
| Source: BFS ||||||||||||

#### By constituency

| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members |
| Zürich 1 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 4 | Jakob Dubs Alfred Escher Eduard Suter Johann Jakob Widmer |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Democratic Left | 2 | Johann Jakob Keller Walter Hauser |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Heinrich Fierz |
| Zürich 3 | 3 | Democratic Left | 3 | Hans Rudolf Zangger Johann Jakob Spörri Salomon Bleuler |
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Democratic Left | 3 | Friedrich Scheuchzer Jakob Fehr Johann Jakob Scherer |
| Bern 5 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Carl Samuel Zyro Friedrich Seiler Johann Jakob Karlen Jakob Scherz |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 3 | Otto von Büren Samuel Steiner August von Gonzenbach |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Radical Left | 1 | Rudolf Brunner |
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Karl Schenk Samuel Lehmann Ludwig Wyss Karl Karrer |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Andreas Schmid Johann Bützberger Jakob Leuenberger |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Daniel Flückiger |
| Bern 9 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Eduard Marti Jakob Stämpfli Friedrich Eggli |
| Bern 10 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Édouard Carlin Paul Migy Niklaus Kaiser Pierre Jolissaint |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Josef Martin Knüsel |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Josef Bucher |
| Lucerne 12 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Philipp Anton von Segesser Vinzenz Fischer |
| Lucerne 13 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Franz Xaver Beck Jost Peyer Adam Herzog |
| Uri 14 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Arnold |
| Schwyz 15 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Josef Anton Eberle |
| Schwyz 15 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Karl Styger |
| Obwalden 16 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Simon Ettlin |
| Nidwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Wyrsch |
| Glarus 18 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Joachim Heer |
| Glarus 18 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Peter Jenny II |
| Zug 19 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Karl Josef Merz |
| Fribourg 20 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Louis de Weck Alfred Vonderweid Laurent Chaney |
| Fribourg 21 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Pierre-Théodule Fracheboud Louis de Wuilleret |
| Solothurn 22 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Benedikt von Arx Simon Kaiser |
| Solothurn 22 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Bünzli |
| Basel-Stadt 23 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Jakob Stehlin |
| Basel-Stadt 23 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Wilhelm Klein |
| Basel-Landschaft 24 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Emanuel Löw Stephan Gutzwiller |
| Basel-Landschaft 24 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Martin Bider |
| Schaffhausen 25 | 2 | Democratic Left | 1 | Wilhelm Joos |
| Schaffhausen 25 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Friedrich Peyer im Hof |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 26 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Adolf Friedrich Zürcher |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 26 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johannes Hohl |
| Appenzell Innerhoden 27 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Broger |
| St. Gallen 28 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Johann Baptist Weder Daniel Wirth-Sand |
| St. Gallen 28 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johannes Zündt |
| St. Gallen 29 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Josef Leonhard Bernold Johann Baptist Gaudy |
| St. Gallen 29 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Ulrich Ambühl |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Carl Georg Jakob Sailer Georg Friedrich Anderegg |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann M. Hungerbühler |
| Grisons 31 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Simeon Bavier |
| Grisons 31 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Gaudenz Gadmer |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann R. von Toggenburg |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Bartholome Caflisch |
| Grisons 33 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Albert Romedi |
| Aargau 34 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Friedrich Frey-Herosé Carl Feer-Herzog |
| Aargau 34 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Arnold Künzli |
| Aargau 35 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 3 | Peter Suter Alois Isler Theodor Bertschinger |
| Aargau 35 | 4 | Democratic Left | 1 | Rudolf Urech |
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Karl von Schmid Arnold Münch |
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Fridolin Schneider |
| Thurgau 37 | 5 | Democratic Left | 4 | Fridolin Anderwert Jakob Albert Scherb Friedrich Heinrich Häberlin Adolf Deucher |
| Thurgau 37 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Messmer |
| Ticino 38 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Giuseppe Soldini Costantino Bernasconi Carlo Battaglini |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Michele Pedrazzini |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Giovanni Jauch |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Luigi Rusca |
| Vaud 40 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Victor Ruffy Louis Ruchonnet |
| Vaud 40 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Charles Cossy Paul Cérésole |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Abram-Daniel Meystre Victor Perrin Georges-Louis Contesse |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Jean-Louis Demiéville |
| Vaud 42 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Louis-Henri Delarageaz Charles Baud Henri Reymond |
| Valais 43 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Alexis Allet Hans Anton von Roten |
| Valais 44 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Evéquoz |
| Valais 45 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 | Louis Barman Maurice-Antoine Cretton |
| Neuchâtel 46 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Jules Philippin Édouard Desor Zélim Perret |
| Neuchâtel 46 | 4 | Radical Left dissidents | 1 | Louis Constant Lambelet |
| Geneva 47 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel Moïse Vautier Antoine Carteret |
| Geneva 47 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | François-Jules Pictet |
| Source: Gruner ||||||

### Council of States

| Party | Party | Seats | +/– |
| | Catholic Right | 14 | 0 |
| | Liberal Centre | 12 | –1 |
| | Radical Left | 11 | –1 |
| | Democratic Left | 4 | +3 |
| | Evangelical Right | 0 | 0 |
| | Independents | 3 | +1 |
| Total | Total | 44 | 0 |
| Source: Federal Assembly ||||